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News Article

Soldiers Help Bomb Victims; 29 People Injured in Attack

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20, 2007  Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers helped victims of a vehicle-bomb attack today near the village of Muhammad Baqir, Iraq, and officials have issued a revised count of soldiers injured in an attack on a military compound yesterday.

An insurgent bomber blew up his truck, which held two chlorine tanks -- a chemical that officials said terrorists use with the intent to take out large numbers of civilians. The tanks containing the chlorine separated from the vehicle. They did not explode, but leaked the gas, officials said.

Soldiers with the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry, 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, and the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, provided medical aid to the injured and helped to evacuate them to a medical clinic in the village.

In other news from Iraq, 29 Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers were injured when insurgents attacked a combat outpost yesterday in Tarmiyah. An initial release had reported that 17 troops were wounded and two killed in the attack.

The U.S. soldiers defending the outpost were able to maintain security of the compound and evacuate the wounded, officials said, adding that elements of the unit detained seven suspected insurgents in the wake of the attack.

Of the 29 soldiers wounded in action, 24 suffered minor injuries and have returned to duty, officials said. Five others suffered more serious injuries and are receiving medical treatment.

The initial release from military officials in Baghdad characterized the attack on the outpost, north of the Iraqi capital, as a coordinated attack, due to the deliberate nature of the operation by insurgents and their use of several weapons systems against the outpost. During the attack, insurgents targeted U.S. troops with small-arms fire, rocket-propelled grenades and a single vehicle-borne bomb. The Tarmiyah combat outpost was defended solely by American troops. Iraqi police left the site in December, relocating to the district police headquarters to nearby Mushada, officials said.